Continuing with Helion's look into the military of this most secretive nation, we have this edition on the Korean People's Army Navy. One of the problems with being a pariah state, is that of being sanctioned in pretty much every aspect of running a country. This includes the ability to easily obtain the weapons that one feels one needs to protect dear leader.

Initially, North Korea got a lot of aid in building up their navy from both the Chinese and the Soviets. This was especially true after the Korean War. At that time, North Korea had little in the way of the ability to manufacture what it needed outside of fishing boats, so it was fortuitous that they were able to get help from neighbors. As time moved on, obtaining this sort of assistance became more and more difficult. So the North Koreans became quite adept at not only keeping old ships fully functional for longer than anyone else, but also in making modifications to make them somewhat relevant.

Of course, this sort of thing is not something that any nation can really keep up for long, so the North Koreans started doing as much as they could on their own. It helped that their navy did not have to be one to directly oppose more developed navies, but was more dedicated to coastal patrol. This is still pretty much where their fairly large fleet of smaller ships is directed. Despite various sanctions, North Korea has turned out some rather potent looking ships. This includes several very modern appearing frigates, which are armed with vertical launch missiles as well as the usual guns. North Korea also has a number of submarines which include not only old Whiskey class Soviet subs, but also a goodly number of smaller boats whose sole purpose is to prevent any sea-borne invasions. Considering the sums needed to develop and build these vessels, it is no wonder why the majority of North Koreans live in poverty. 

As with previous editions, the ability to obtain information is somewhat sketchy at times, though enough has been provided over the years to get a fairly good picture of what is going on. A background history of navy is provided in addition to conjecture on what the future might bring. The vast majority of images are from North Korean propaganda and as you might expect, include many images of dear leader surrounded by note-taking generals. There are the usual full color profiles and some interesting maps and charts to round things out.

In all, it is an excellent companion to the earlier volume and is one that I found very interesting. I can most easily recommend this one to you.

November 2026

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